1903 Carignan Côtes Catalanes rouge IGP 2022

Deep ruby red with violet highlights. On the nose, blackcurrant, blueberry and cherry, then with air leather, tobacco, smoke, garrigue, mint and dark chocolate, finally candied figs and plums. The balance between cool stoniness and fully ripe dark fruit is the central theme of this wine.

The grapes come from a 3.5-hectare Carignan vineyard planted in 1903 in the Pyrénées-Orientales, from the Sainte-Eugénie, La Ginèvre and Las Trabassères parcels. The soils are schist and schist weathered into clay. Roc des Anges is located in Montner, on the northern slope of the Força Real, sheltered from the fierce Mediterranean sun; elevations of up to 400 metres ensure cool nights, and the vertically oriented rock stores water for dry periods.

A pure Carignan from ungrafted vines. The century-old vines now bear only a few small bunches, whose juice is correspondingly concentrated. The wine was aged for nine months in used tonneaux and large oak casks. Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet farm their schist terraces biodynamically, with the estate's average yield at 15 hectolitres per hectare.

Blackberry, cassis, wild strawberry and cherry, along with herbs and spices reminiscent of the Roussillon landscape, cool stoniness and a hint of iron. Not opulent, but vibrantly mineral; the fine, ripe tannin carries the juicy fruit and a slight extract sweetness through to the long finish.

Lièvre à la royale, the classic French hare dish. Octopus braised in Carignan with grilled potatoes and olives. Wild duck breast with pomegranate jus, salt-baked beetroot and rosemary potatoes.

This wine needs air: decant it and pour it into a Burgundy glass, only then does the interplay of fruit, herbs and stone reveal itself. Marjorie Gallet learned her craft under Gérard Gauby; the name Roc des Anges comes from a white quartz rock found among the vineyards.